


All in Your Head

by Reefwriting



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda Angst, Best Friends, Bisexual Luz Noceda, Canon Lesbian Character, Cute, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Future Fic, Gay, Lesbian Character, Luz Noceda Angst, Luz Noceda Needs a Hug, Not Canon Compliant, Trapped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reefwriting/pseuds/Reefwriting
Summary: During the final battle against emperor Belos to free the Isles, Luz is sent back to the human realm and trapped with no idea how everyone is doing. Now two years later, something changes and she can go back, but how will she react to the tensions rising between new factions and seeing her friends, namely Amity, Again? All while something lurks inside her...
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 10
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

Luz heard nothing but the sound of the activation of her gliph as she was suddenly sent flying backward. A bright light made her close her eyes, the sounds of the battle suddenly quiet. She hit hard on her back, tumbling backwards and finally landing face first. Her ears were ringing, and her back was surely bruised, so it took her a moment to open her eyes again. She stood hastily, pulling out a fire gliph, but stopped as her eyes were met with a familiar run down house. The door was closed, and the silence creeped its way into her mind, the realization hitting her. 

She was back in the human world.

She had vaguely heard Eda shouting something as the emperor lifted his staff, glowing a demonic red. Luz wasn't afraid. But… 

She turned around, eyes scanning the forest. She couldn't be home. This wasn't right. Turning back to the house, she stumbled up the steps and threw open the door, finding not the portal back to the isles, but a sad, empty wooden house. Holes in the floor and the ceiling, and still so quiet compared to mere minutes earlier.

"Eda!" She yelled, running around frantically. She searched every inch, opened every possible door, exhausting herself and hoping this wasn't real. "Eda! Willow! Gus! King!" She screamed, but only receiving hollow echoes of her own voice as an answer. She didn't know how long she searched, but it ended with her on the porch, stumbling down the steps weakly while crying, collapsing onto the grass.

It felt even more painful than when Belos had taken Eda. No clue if they were okay, if they were alive, or if she would ever be able to return. 

It felt like hours passed, before she managed to stand, covering herself tightly with her cape and trudging through the trees, in the vague direction of home.   
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
All the aggressive magic had settled, and a destroyed Belos laid mere yards from where Amity stood. His mask was broken in two, a few feet further. It was over. Somehow. It was over. 

She vaguely heard feet approaching from behind, a group of worn out witches approaching. At the head was Willow, Gus directly behind and out of breath. She turned, eyes subconsciously searching for a particular hooded face. She didn't see Luz. Willow put a hand on her shoulder, breaking her from her search. "We did it. We really… wow." She laughed, glancing at Gus then back to Amity.

"Yeah…" the witch smiled, but once again turning to look around, magic battle leftovers everywhere. "...I… where's Luz?"

Suddenly Eda flew overhead, dropping just in front of Belos and surrounding him in a bubble. "You will not bother anyone ever again. Flames burned suddenly inside, incinerating whatever was left of the former emperor. A distant look in the older witches two colored eyes put Amity's bad   
Feelings front and center of her mind.

"Eda, Did you see Luz? Is she okay?" The young witch jogged forward, hoping she would have an answer. The small silence before Eda turned made her fear the worst. The bubble containing the ashes of Belos popped, making them scatter out onto the ground. 

"Luz is safe." She responded, but flatly. Amity didn't like how that sounded. She felt a hand on both her shoulders, glancing quickly to see it was Gus and Willow respectively. Eda blinked, then sighed, gently pulling her staff back up to her chest. "In the moment, I thought it would be best…"

"What happened? Where is she?" The panic was clear in Amity's voice, her fists forming. "Where is Luz, Eda?"

The wind blew suddenly, blowing the ashes away, in a direction to the left of the cursed witch and to the right of the green haired witchling. 

"Luz is back in the human world." Eda finally answered. "I sent her back before Belos could hurt her." Another pause, before she looked up. "I couldn't let…" she turned away. She couldn't finish the sentence. She'd done it to protect Luz. But… now she didn't know if she would ever come back. And looking the kids friends in the eyes to tell them that was too much.

Amity's heart dropped, her legs shaking. That information didn't process right. Luz couldn't be gone. She couldn't be. The witchling had to look down, fighting back the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't… 

Everything seemed to blur out, her vision and hearing fading for all else but the sound of her own heart, slowing down while it ached, feeling on the verge of breaking. Voices came from all around, but she didn't care. Not until she was being pulled away from where she stood. She couldn't even process who, but allowed it, the strength to fight gone. 

Eda watched Willow pull the young Blight away, while unnerving stares of various emotions met her. She felt unwelcomed. Which she had grown used to in her years as a wanted with, but this time… it actually hurt. She turned away and sat on her staff, flying off back towards home. The owl house. Where King would no doubt question her about the battle, and Luz.  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Amity came to her senses about halfway back towards Bonesburrow, finally collapsing and taking in shaky breaths to try and calm herself. Willow kneeled to try and comfort her, quickly muttering that maybe Gus should get home quick. He didn't argue, stepping slowly away before turning and jogging into the trees and out of sight towards the town.

Willow watched him go, then looked down at her old friend, distraught. "Amity…"

"I'm sorry…" the girl managed, quietly. "...i-i know I'm not the only one who will miss her. I just… I…" she swallowed thickly. "She's gone… and...and we might never see her again."

Willow still hadn't fully processed that fact, looking down at the ground as her friend tried to compose herself. Luz was gone. She was back home, in the human world. She managed to look up to meet Amity's golden eyes as the witch turned. "I know."

Amity opened and closed her mouth a few times. "Y'know, I liked her. I liked her alot. And I feel I wasted time after we first met because I was confused. And then I couldn't even bring myself to tell her. And now… I'll never get to." She teared up again, shrinking in on herself. "I don't know how to handle this. How do you handle heartbreak?"

The darker haired witchling had noticed Amity's emotions a while ago, but had decided it better to let the two sort it out. Now that wouldn't happen. She breathed out shakily, adjusting her sitting position to let Amity rest her head on her shoulder. "I… don't know. But, I do know that Luz gave us each other. I know we've been a bit touchy about it… but I care, Amity. You are my friend. And we have each other." She pulled her friend tighter into her, tears forming in her own eyes. "We have each other."

The two girls sat there as the sun sank finally below the horizon, crying silently as though mourning for a lost friend. Not a death, thankfully, but for the emptiness Luz's absence would create.

It wasn't until Willow felt Amity shift to stand, looking exhausted, that she moved. She took the girl's hand and led her gently away, back towards town, towards home. Walking silently and slowly.

They needed rest.


	2. Summer Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Amity both think too much and Luz finds something she hasn't see in two years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to be notified when chapters are up, or if you want to see art of mine, you can follow my Instagram @Reefartandwriting 
> 
> I do fanart and just like sketches

"Hey."

"Hey?"

"Luz."

"Luz!"

"LUZ."

the loud and annoyed tone finally broke her from her thoughts, and she sat up quickly, smiling. "Sorry."

The other girl just rolled her eyes. "Always a space cadet, Noceda. Did you even here my question?" She leaned forward onto the lunch table, raising a brow at her.

"Oh… uhm… no. Not really." Luz admitted. "What was it?"

"I asked you what your plans for summer are, dummy. You going to another summer camp? Staying home? Visiting relatives? Going on vacation?" She rattled off the possibilities like nothing. "I wanna hang out this summer."

Luz shook her head. "Oh uhm, no. Summer camps aren't my thing, It's just me and my Mom, and we don't have much money for any decent vacation. I'll be stuck here." She smiled. "I'll be glad to hang out a bit. We could ride our bikes around."

Her friend smiled, opening her mouth to speak, when another group a few tables down called out her name and she huffed. "I'll text you, Luz. See you soon." She stood, offering a small wave and leaving Luz alone again.

She didn't like summer. It reminded her too much of… well, THAT summer.

It felt like years ago. Which was true. But like, YEARS. Longer than just the summer before last. 2 years. That didn't seem right. Then again nothing seemed right since then. She still didn't have many friends. Fern hung out with her when she wasn't busy. And sometimes some of her buddy's would be there as well. But they weren't super close. She had reeled back her weirdness, mostly for her mama, and it helped. 

Her mind wandered again as she waited for the bell rang, to what memories she clung to from that summer. Eda, King, meeting Willow, Hexside, Gus, Principal Bump. Amity.

Amity had stuck herself quite firmly in her memory. Their meeting in Hexside, the library, their dance at Grom… even the memory of that dance brought a smile to her face. Sometimes even a bit of a blush. What a night. She wondered how all of them were doing. If Willow was thriving in the Plant track, If Gus had reclaimed himself into the H.A.S. If Amity had finally let her guarded walls down and fixed things with Willow.

She didn't want to think about if the fight with Emperor Belos ended badly. She had done that so much at first. She had nightmares of them. Her friends, hurt and defeated, locked away, dead…

The bell rang before she could fall back down that rabbit hole of thoughts, and she stood quickly, grabbing her bag. Only three more classes. Then, school was out for summer. She could sleep in tomorrow. What a wonderful idea.   
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"MITTEEEENNNNNSSSS!!!!"

Amity opened her eyes, met with the sight of her ceiling as she let out an annoyed growl. She could never escape that cursed nickname. She hopped up, rubbing her face, her eyes in particular. Stumbling forward to her closet, she finally let out a loud response to her brother. "I'm UUUUPP." She didn't wait for any response before sighing out her matching grey Tunic and Pants. 

She had to admit after glancing at the clock that she was glad she had been woken up. She had training with Lilith in less than an hour, and if she was late… she didn't even want to think about it.

After finishing clothing herself, she grabbed her journal and a notebook as well as a few pencils, she rushed downstairs with record speed. Emira was at the kitchen counter, and Edric was leaning against the couch with a smirk. "Morning, lil sis."

"Thanks for the annoying wake-up call." She answered, with a tone he knew was genuinely grateful, but still giving the legit annoyance he expected. "Dad still in his study?" She asked, reaching quickly in front of Emira to grab a breakfast bar, turning back to Edric for her answer.

"Oh yeah. And he won't be done for a good while. Maybe even till after you get back." He leaned back farther, falling into the couch. "Good luck with the Guardians Coven."

"It's important to me, so I appreciate that." She swirled to give a short wave to Emira, who thankfully wasn't in a "Annoy Amity" mood, too focused on something on her scroll. Then the witchling was out the door, picking up her pace to ensure her on time arrival. Lilith would never punish her for a few minutes, but she liked to stay on her good side anyway. 

She passed by Willows house on her way, and managed to catch her friend watering her plants. She offered a small wave, which was returned before she went back to focusing on her greenery. Then again she was off, speed walking towards what had been dubbed the training field. Which was just a fancy way to relabel the prison yard since it had been converted into a conformitorium.

She made it to the gate in record time, seeing a few others in similar uniforms waiting outside. She saw a few vaguely familiar faces, and some new ones, but didn't bother to wave. The gate soon opened, and the students flooded in, all going different directions.

She went straight for the corner of the yard, where she could already see Lilith waiting. The witch gave a small pleased smile as she approached. "Ah, early, Ms. Blight."

"I try to be." She answered, offering a smile of equal size. She moved just beyond her mentor, setting her bag down. "Though I do have my brother to thank for waking me this morning." A small amused chuckle from the reserved older woman finally made her relax. 

Lilith had changed, like many witches, after the battle with Belos. Amity still found her intimidating because of her status, but she was ultimately much more friendly. Approachable. Amity personally believed it was because of both the reconnection with her sister, and the lack of pressure and threats from the former ruler.

"Well in any case I'm glad. I was informed last minute I would have to halt your training early today." The witchling turned, a confused look on her face. "The council is meeting today, I am just as surprised as you."

She stood straighter, crossing her arms. "Did something suddenly happen?"

Lilith sighed. "You know I wouldn't be allowed to tell you even if I knew. But the boiling isles and the changes made in the past two years is still in a struggle for balance. It is delicate." She twisted her wrist to form a spell circle, creating two circles on the ground behind her. "Do not be so surprised when the council calls for urgency. Just as a note. Now, let us begin."

Amity wanted to pry further, but sighed as well, entering the left circle. This was often the routine, her demonstrating inside a safety circle and Amity attempting in another. Today she was trying to teach her a new detainment spell. Which wasn't surprising, though she had hoped it would've been more interesting. 

The witchling got it down a few tries in, but Lilith made her repeat it for another 20-30 minutes, before nodding and gesturing for her to take a quick break. "I'm going to do a round to check on other students and mentors. Just to give you about 10 minutes." She glanced up to see the sun. "At this pace though, I will let you go by noon. Next we will be practicing an ice spell." She said nothing more before walking smoothly off, leaving Amity to sit against the wall, pulling out her notebook and journal.

In the notebook she detailed the spell and how to do it, in case she ever needed a reminder, which was a rare occurrence. Mostly just for something to do. Then she set it aside and opened her journal, doodling. She drew Willow's head, making her smile, before she heard footsteps coming back.

Her mentor had returned, looking a little annoyed but otherwise ready to teach. "Might I say, Amity, I am glad to be your mentor and your mentor alone." She huffed a bit at the end. "Some of your… fellow students… would not be ideal."

"We are still just kids." I answered, standing up. "Some haven't grown up yet. Though I get it. And I'm glad you're my mentor too, Lilith."

A rare full smile stretched across her face as Amity stepped back into her safety circle and waiting for instruction.

As promised, only a little after Noon Lilith ended their session, telling her about their next session briefly before walking off toward the gate. Amity gathered her stuff and summoned her scroll, hoping to catch Willow at a free moment. 

'hey, done with your plants?'

'Yeah, but shouldn't you be in training?'

"Got let out early. I wanna hang.'

'gotcha. By the time you get here I'll probably be good, so go ahead. Wanna hang out here, or…?'

Amity paused for a moment, then looked down again. 'I know we do it alot, but can we walk around the market?'

'course!'

She smiled, then made her way back through the gate, finding her way through the town as she headed towards Willow's house.it was muscle memory to walk the path by now, so she just let her mind wander. About what the Council would talk about, about how much has changed, about… well, not surprisingly, Luz.

She tried not to think about her too often. Not because she wanted to forget, but because the memory hurt most of the time. It had been rough the first few weeks after that battle, Lilith and Eda struggling to set up a new form of government, her and willow and Gus adjusting to Luz being gone, and her parents falling out. Amity's father wasn't good, but he wasn't nearly as bad as her mother. They fought on the side of the emperor, but her father had stopped when he was faced with his own children. Mom, however…

She shuddered at the memory. Her mother had been captured about three months later, her father spared only for defending her and the twins. He spent most of his time in his office, doing work. Amity assumed it would be similar to what he had done before, not that she knew what it was. Edric reached out to him the most often, Emira being more like Amity, letting him be alone and only speaking when he joined them for dinner on occasion. It had gotten less awkward, but their relationship would never truly be fixed. He just provided, and let the three do their own thing.

Then she came back to Luz, and remembered it was around the time the clumsy human had found herself in the Boiling isles. Two years. It didn't feel right, but that's what was the reality. 

She hoped Luz would return for a while, telling herself maybe she would find her way back, but she gave up on that a while ago. A part of her still hoped, but she pushed it down to not upset herself. While her mind was pushing her to think of the girl, she tried to focus on the good parts. Which was most of it. Her goofy smile, her expressions of excitement or nervousness, her "misplaced confidence" as Eda had called it a few times. It brought a smile to the witches face. Though it still hurt, because of Luz the Boiling Isles was a better place. Or, at the very least, well on it's way to being a better place.

Willow's house came into view and she refocused herself on the present, hopping down a few stone steps as she finally found herself out front. She didn't need to knock, because shortly after she stopped just out front Willow was opening the door and stepping out. "I'll be back before nightfall!" She shouted, two male voices acknowledging her as the door closed. 

Amity smiled again. Things had changed with Willow too. Her hair was just a bit shorter, her glasses now replaced with contacts, and was now taller than Amity. She smiled warmly as she often did at her friend, lightly poking her shoulder. "Hey, Miss Guardian." 

"Oh stop, I'm just a trainee." Amity shushed her, laughing. "I don't even start getting patrol shifts till next year. Unless Lilith vouches." She shrugged. "Doesn't bother me too much though."

"It's cool though, you look good in the uniform. And the fact that you are one of the top cadets." she winked, turning to face forward as they began walking. "I'm just glad Bump agreed to let me become a teacher for Plant track once I graduate." She paused, then chuckled. "Or atleast, a teacher's assistant."

"It's such a YOU kind of job." Amity responded, turning to browse lightly as they entered the market. "You'd be a great teacher."

"I hope so." Willow muttered, slowing down to start looking at something at a stand with a bunch of jewelry. Amity's mind wandered back to Luz, again thinking about how it had really been so long. 

"Hey Willow?" She said, a bit more quiet. Willow waved at the stand owner then turned.

"Yeah?"

"It's been almost exactly two years." She said simply, willow sighing and nodding. "I just, remembered earlier. And…"

"I get it. I thought about it a few days ago." They were walking again, but slower. "I really miss her. She'd love to see the Isles now." She turned with a smile to aim at her friend. "And how much we've changed." She notably glanced at Amity's hair.

The witchling played with the end of it. "You think she'd like it?" It was a silly question. But she still worried about those small details. She had let her hair grow out, once green because of her mother's pressure was now the reddish brown her father liked. 

"I know she would." Willow said, chuckling a bit. "she would love it."

They feel into a comfortable silence for a bit, browsing for a while before walking out of the market and finding a seat just outside town. Willow leaned back, stretching, while Amity looked out toward the skyline. It would be sunset for a good few hours, but the sky still looked beautiful. 

She smiled, knowing that Luz would find it just as pretty.  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"I'm home, Mama!" Luz said, louder then normal but still not quite yelling. 

She was answered with a "¡Hola, Cariño!" From the kitchen. Then her mother appeared, pulling her into a tight hug. "How was school, mija?" 

"Nothing too interesting, considering it was the last day. Mostly movies and candy, Mama." She smiled. "How was your day?"

She perked up a bit. "oh, well, not too interesting. Except I found something I thought might be yours after I decided to clean out the sofa. Some weird looking metal thing with an eye? I figured it was yours, Mija. I left it on your bed." She turned, looking back with a smile. "I'm making dinner, I'll call you down when it's ready."

"Okay, I'll be upstairs." She made her way up, thinking about what her mother could have meant. Weird metal thing? Her door was already open, so she went through and dropped her bag. 

After reminiscing earlier that day, she thought back to her friends back in the Boiling Isles. But mostly… Amity.

They started off so rough, but Luz felt they had gotten pretty close. She almost hated to admit the little crush that started to sneak up on her in the week or so before the battle with Belos. She thought she would be able to talk to her afterward, maybe confess. But… well, that plan didn't work. 

Luz sighed, turning to look at her closet, where her cloak still hung up. There were a few tears at the bottom, and dirt from when she had been thrown through the portal. She hadn't washed it. It felt wrong too. 

Finally she walked over to her bed, flopping down, and for a second closed her eyes. But she became aware of a object beneath her, and opened her eyes and sat up, reaching behind her. It took a second longer than she would care to admit to wrap her fingers around a smooth, metal object. She pulled it around and opened her eyes, blinking for a second before her eyes widened.

The key.

It was the key. The key to the portal. It was right there, in her hand. The big yellow eye. It had to be it.

Luz didn't believe it. She dropped it onto the bed, moving her hands to rub her eyes, a smile spreading quickly across her face as it was still there. She hopped off the bed, her hands going into her hair in disbelief. "No! Its-" she laughed, hopping around. "YESSSS!" her hands flew up in victory, staring at the key.

Then she let the fall, as her heart started to beat in her chest. She reached forward and picked it up again, clicking the eye down and watching suddenly as the door appeared, opening to reveal the woods of the Boiling Isles.

"¡Mija!" Her mother suddenly shouted, making her click the eye again and the door quickly disappearing. "Luz! Dinner is ready, why don't you come down?"

"Yes, Mama!" She shouted back, smiling down again at the key, before setting it down on her dresser and quickly rushing downstairs.


	3. Back To A Different World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz Finally returns to the boiling isles. But alot of changes bring about alot of confusing feelings.

All through dinner she was buzzing with energy, fighting to contain it so she could talk to her mom. But it was easy to see how excited Luz was. She smiled, pausing in eating. "Mija, what's got you so happy?"

Luz opened her mouth, then closed it, trying to find an explanation. When she had returned that summer she had informed her mom of where she was, but she spared her the worry of how she had been in life threatening danger so often. Luz knew her mama didn't even think it was a real experience. So she thought carefully before smiling. She hated lying, but this was a special case. "Fern invited me to hang out. I guess I'm just excited. Sorry for being bouncy."

"Don't be sorry, Cariño. I am happy for you." She chuckled, looking down at her food.

The idea of the key, and the isles, and everyone there itched at her. "Speaking of which, mama… would you let me go sleepover and spend the weekend? I haven't asked Fern yet but… I wanted to."

"If her parents allow it, Mija. Of course you can." She answered, glancing up just to give a smile. 

They finished eating in peaceful silence, Luz the one to pick up and wash the dishes, before bounding back upstairs and landing on her bed, reaching for her phone and the key. 

As she dialed Fern, she flipped the key in her other hand with nervous excitement. It took longer than Luz wanted for her friend to pick up, a half sleepy mumbling of "Hello?" Giving her the go ahead to speak.

"Hey Fern." She said, pausing before adding "Were you asleep?"

"No, but I was on my way to it…" she chuckled. "...what's up?"

"Okay I have a very serious question so like… hear me out."

"Go ahead?"

Luz took a deep breath. "So I need to go somewhere this weekend, but my mom kinda can't know and I wanted to know if you would cover for me by saying I was over with you sleeping over. This is really important to me and I know it's a VERY strange request-" she fiddled with the key as she spoke, her leg bouncing.

"Woah, woah, woah, are we talking delinquent activity?" It was in an amused tone. "Is the chillaxed, weird Luz Noceda participating in something bad?"

"No, absolutely not." She quickly defended. "It's just. My mom can't know." She paused, sighing. "Yeah I know that sounds super suspicious. Just. Please?"

"If I cover for you, I wanna know who, or what you're going to see." She said, still in an amused tone. "Just so I know you aren't in danger."

"Uhm…" what could she tell Fern to make her satisfied? And before anyone else, Amity popped into her head. And a blush dusted her cheeks. Fern liked juicy gossip. If she said she was going to see a crush… "okay, but… just between us, I'm going to see some old friends and a uh… a girl I kinda… like. But before you say anything I'm not trying to hide it because my mom wouldn't approve of her. It's just… a complicated situation, okay?" She was getting worried. She needed this. Or, well, wanted this. bad.

There was a pause on the other end, before Fern chuckled. "Luz, you dork. Okay. You're in luck, cause it's only my dad here this weekend. He's chill. I'll get him to text your mom, and you can go see your girl, okay? But I want all the details when you get back!" The last sentence was louder and a chuckle quickly followed.

Luz bounced in excitement. "Oh thank you Fern! Of course! I owe you one. Thank you, so much!" Fern was still laughing, and Luz settled down, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I will see you tomorrow, for our… sleepover…"

"Oh of course." Fern said, no doubt smiling at the other end. "Be careful." Then she hung up, and Luz jumped off her bed, buzzing around with pure excitement while still holding the key.

She stopped, holding it in both hands and smiling fondly. She would be able to see them all again. She moved to look out her window, smiling harder. "soon."  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"I'm home!" Amity announced, to which she received an almost inaudible reply from somewhere upstairs. She shook her head and went into the kitchen, looking for something to grab as a quick snack. She was worn out from walking around, but agreed to meet Willow again, this time with Gus, to go around again tomorrow. 

She was only mildly surprised by her father at the table, across from Edric and playing a board game. She didn't really care what it was, but noted how her father seemed very focused and almost worried, she assumed he was losing. Edric offered a wave, not taking his eyes from the board. 

Besides them, Emira was on the couch, and offered a wave as well, but meeting her eyes as unlike the two men. "Hey, Mittens. Okay day at training? Went a little late, didn't it?"

"Opposite, actually." She admitted, flopping down beside her sister to let herself rest a moment. "I got out about noon. I've been hanging with Willow since then. I didn't mean to stay so late." She relaxed, rolling her shoulders and stretching to pop her back before groaning and sliding downwards on the couch. "I'm so tired."

Emira chuckled. "Figured you'd have more energy, after only training for a couple hours."

"Its more of a mental exhaustion then physical, Em." Amity responded, turning her head. "I've just done a lot of thinking today. About stuff."

"Do I want to know?" Emira huffed. "Or do you even want to tell."

"Well it either ends in a sibling hug, or sibling teasing, so I don't think I will." Amity managed to laugh at her own joke. "Unless I'm guaranteed sibling immunity."

"I make no such agreement for immunity!" Edric butted in, moving his piece and making their father breathe out heavily in frustration. "You get no immunity from me, Mittens!"

Emira laughed, but then turned back to see the look on Amity's face that she only had when spacing or thinking pretty hard "In that case, let's head upstairs and you can tell me what's up while they play their game?" she gestured loosely to Edric and their dad, who didn't seem to catch her saying that.

Amity just nodded in a silent agreement, leaning forward and standing, following Emira upstairs with just a glance back down to give a small smile. Despite her father's past mistakes, him trying to bond with them again was nice. Turning her attention back to Emira a few steps ahead of her, she sped up. They had a moment of silence as they walked through the hallway towards Amity's room. When the younger of the two opened the door, Emira piped up.

"So… what's bothering you?" She moved to sit on her sister's bed, leaning back on her hands. "Falling out with someone? Bully? Something with the Coven?"

"No, just… been thinking about. Y'know. Luz. It's around that time, and Uhm… I still miss her." Amity sighed shakily and lifted her bag off her shoulders to set it on the floor, joining Emira on the bed and pulling her knees up to her chest to offer herself some comfort. "I know I'm always thinking about her, but… it's been two whole years. And I just…" she sighed again, setting her forehead on her knee. "...I can't get over her."

"Well you loved her, Amity…" Emira said softly, setting a hand on her shoulder. "...you don't just get over someone. Even in two years. Even after 3, or 4, or 5 years." She smiled, poking at Amity's side to make her squeak and set down a leg so she could tap at her chest, then head. "Luz impacted you alot. She's always gonna be here, and here."

Emira's hand fell back to the bed. "I miss her too, a lot sometimes. And a lot of people do. She was just bright, and righteous, and goofy, and sweet. Everyone who met her will remember her for years to come. She left a legacy." She huffed into a find smile. "And I know she loved you too, you know. Maybe not in the way you wanted, but certainly in the way you needed. She would be proud of how far you've come since she left."

Amity couldn't fight the smile growing on her lips. "I know. I hope she thinks of us sometimes, hanging onto the same memories as we do." She turned her head, setting her ear against her still tucked knee. "I just wish I could see her one last time. Even for a minute. Just to tell her how I feel, and know she's okay. That's what hurts the most."

"Yeah." The older witch murmured, silently wrapping her sister into a hug. "I get that."  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Luz took a deep breath as she stared at the house, even more run down then last she saw it. It had been awhile. Nearly 14 months she thought, since she'd last visited in false hope. A small wind blew and caused creaks to greet her ears.

It hadn't been necessary to come back, but she had first entered the world of witches here, and it felt right to return in the same place. Or atleast near it. 

She gripped at her cloak nervously, pulling out the key and pressing it, watching once again as the portal between the world's appeared and opened, revealing familiar, thick and twisty trees. She smiled, a buzz of nervous and excited energy almost engulfing her. Her duffle bag, which only had two simple changes of clothes, the latest Azura book, and a few snacks. 

She had no idea how the Isles would be. She Only hoped the protective magical cloak would keep her safe. She took one more deep breath before stepping through, clicked the key again to close the door, and looked around quickly to gather her surroundings into her memory. It wasn't very familiar, so she began walking the opposite direction of the peak of the knee, knowing that was the general direction of Bonesburrow and the Owl House.

It felt so peaceful, which quickly made Luz's nerves skyrocket. She felt as terrified as the first time she had come here. Except this time she really was alone. Until she found town, or the Owl House, she was alone. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, forcing herself to take deep breaths as she walked.

It was maybe an hour, perhaps a bit less, when she found the edge of the woods, and caught her first sight of town. 

Her eyes widened at the sight of it, bigger and actually much nicer than she remembered. She could vaguely see a statue in the centre where a fountain once was, surrounded by familiar stands, lined up neatly and little specks of people moving around in them. 

"Bonesburrow…" she muttered under her breath. From here she knew her way to Eda, but she felt a pull to see the town. It looked much different from here, and she wanted to see up close.

Luz removed her bag, only taking a few granola bars and putting them in her pockets, before stuffing it behind a log. It was too bulky. She wanted to be able to run Incase of the emperor's guards. A lump formed in her throat at the thought, but she pushed herself to stumble down the hill, walking nonchalantly toward the town.

As she entered Bonesburrow, she noticed that the Emperor's Coven was not as prominent. She saw no beak style masks, and everyone seemed content. She made her way through the streets toward the market, most of all curious of the new statue in the center. The shops didn't stand out to her too much, and she breathed out and smiled as she reached the statue, suddenly recognizing it.

It was Eda And Lilith. They stood together looking out at nothing, Eda's foot rested on top of something… Luz had to get closer, recognizing it with a mix of confusion and joy as Belos's mask. But when the human looked down, she saw heads lined up along around it, and took joy in walking around and reading names of those she did and didn't recognize. Freezing when she found three inparticular. Three familiar faces all next to eachother.

Gus had a uncharacteristically blank face, eyes open and looking up. Willows eyes were closed, a small vine poking up just beside her, almost unnoticeable. And then Amity... Her familiar pulled back hair and open eyes, eyebrows furrowed. Luz swallowed thickly, reaching out to barely touch the perfect copy of the witch, tracing a finger down the cold stone cheek, her chest tightening up at the sight. Was this… a memorial? They looked sad. Angry. Upset. But thankfully there was what appeared to be a open ended date below Amity's name, as well as Willow and Gus. 

She turned a small corner and froze again, suddenly facing a strangely accurate mint statue of… herself. Even for a statue she stood stiff, a few stone papers with partially carved gliphs in them in her left hand. In her right she gripped her cloak, which appeared to be blowing away to the side. Her face was determined, staring ahead and far away similar to Eda and Lilith.

It was so strange and confusing to be looking at herself, and it took Luz a moment to process it, before looking down at the inscription below it. 

It read: 

A special remembrance to Luz Noceda, The human witch who brought forth to the masses the injustice of the former Emperor Belos's system of magic. Though returned to her own world, she is in our hearts and minds as a determined hero and warrior of witches and demons alike within the Boiling Isles.

It was a very strange feeling, being remembered as a hero. Remembered at all.

She stepped back, looking up again at the Statue of Eda. She was smiling, but Luz wondered how much the Older Witch might've missed her. How she was doing.

Voices of those shopping around her and also viewing the statue echoed around in her head, suddenly overwhelming her. It was too much. Too much to handle, too much to process, too much. Voices were getting too loud. She needed a break. She needed away. 

She pushed her way silently through a crowd of kids being shown the statue, not bothering to try and listen to the teacher say something about Lillith. 

After a few minutes, finding herself in a less busy section of market, she leaned against the corner of a stand, catching her breath and allow her mind to catch up to her.

Belos was defeated, everyone was alive. And she was thought of as a hero.

She didn't feel like a hero. She wasn't there for his defeat. She was thrown to safety. She didn't deserve a statue. She didn't deserve that honor. Her mind raced with similar thoughts. 

She pulled her head up farther, looking up to people watch for a moment. Everything seemed so strangely peaceful and happy and... free. 

And of course as fate and luck would have it, three witches rounded the corner at the end of the row of stands, walking toward her. Luz didn't notice at first, but after a moment she couldn't not recognize her old friends.

Gus and Amity were about the same height, Willow just slightly taller. A noticable difference was Amity's hair, a natural brown, though still in the half pulled back ponytail. 

Luz was frozen in place for a third time. Nothing felt real. She was back. Belos was gone. Amity, Willow and Gus were all right there… it was happening so fast. She wasn't really prepared to talk to them yet.

She stayed put as they passed, but forced herself forward as they turned the corner, panicking. She only had today and tomorrow. Why was she so nervous? She glanced around, then followed them. At a short distance, trying to gather her nerves while still trying to process the new Boiling Isles.


	4. ...Luz?

"...and then it exploded!" Gus gestured by throwing his hands up and out, smiling and chuckling. "It was insane. But by the isles it was funny. The look on their faces? Priceless!"

Amity smiled fondly and shook her head. "You hate to miss it." She turned back to glance around at the stands around her. By now they had all mostly become familiar. They'd walked around for hours. She slowed just a touch when she saw where Eda's stand once stood. With no connection to the human world she couldn't go on selling human items. 

But the witch turned her focus away from that, focusing again on her friends, who were laughing again. "What joke did I miss?" 

Willow giggled as she tried to straighten her posture. "Oh nothing, just something about-" she paused, hesitating, her chuckle turning into more of a nervous laugh. "- I don't think you'd get it. I forgot you weren't there."

Before a moment of awkward silence could take over, Gus hopped forward to excitedly point at a new shop. "Oh, oh! This is that new diner place! We should stop and get something to eat. It's about lunchtime anyway!" He looked at both his friends, waiting for an answer.

Willow was glad to offer her approval, and before answering, Amity suddenly felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. Like someone was watching her. Like something was wrong. She turned quickly to just see bustling shoppers, no one staring or looking out of place. She looked back at Gus and forced a smile. "Yeah, sure. I heard they have great Beast Burgers."

As they ate, Gus told more entertaining stories, but Amity couldn't be rid of the feeling of being watched. She ignored it mostly, but every now and then would casually glance up and out, disturbed more at not being able to find a source for her feeling then at the feeling itself. Thankfully Willow and Gus didn't notice her vigilance and they were quickly walking again. 

Their next stop was a small clothing shop Willow had insisted upon visiting. It was nice, and for a little under half an hour losing herself in looking at outfits made her forget. She was tempted to buy a pretty tunic with matching pants and a shoulder cape, but decided against it. It felt so formal. She didn't like unnecessarily formal things. She did however pick out a scarf, a pale green with gold designs at one end that caught her eye. 

As she was paying Willow came up behind her. "Ooo, a scarf? Nice looking."

"I don't know if I'll wear it much since the weather is warming up. But it'll be nice for trips to the knee or when it gets colder again." She smiled. "Green has always suited me." A certain emotion spilled into her chest after she said it, having to fake the smile and quickly finish while Willow gave a worried look.

"Yeah, but…"

"Yeah." Amity managed. Sometimes it was easy to forget how forced upon her the color green was. "Sorry."

"No worries, Amity. Gus went ahead to a candy shop. I swear that boy will lose his teeth if he doesn't slow down on the sweets." She chuckled and faced forward again. 

Amity smiled, facing forward too. But unfortunately the feeling of being watched snuck up her spine again, making the hair on her neck stand up. She lifted a hand to try and cover it, and Willow turned and gave her a funny look. "You okay?"

"Just… I've had a weird feeling? I didn't wanna say anything." Amity admitted, looking up only briefly to look at her friend before looking down again.

There was a short pause before Willow said, in a hushed voice, "like someone is watching us?"

Amity looked up quickly, nodding. "you feel it too?"

"Not just that, but I know who. I wasn't sure but if you feel weird too it can't be a coincidence. There's a cloaked guy that's been following us since before lunch. I can't see their face or anything. But they keep moving weird and acting normal when we stop."

The brown haired witch was tempted to look back and see if she could confirm, but Willow took her hand and forced her to keep walking. "let's just get to Gus first, then we can deal with it. I don't want to be seperated."

Concern and anger bubbled up within her. Why would someone be following them? Was it some random weirdo just commited to robbing them? A spy? Some old Belos lackey? There were still followers of his around, believe it or not. And it was fairly well known she was Lillith's student…

Before she knew it they were at the candy shop, and Willow went inside to retrieve Gus while Amity did her best to seem calm waiting outside. She leaned casually against a wall and watched, hoping to catch a glance of this… cloaked figure.

A lot of people were wearing cloaks, but there was only one in sight with the hood up. And Amity knew she had found their little friend. They appeared to be at a corner stall, in a position where they could be looking at an object in front of them, or at the shop where the three friends were at. She didn't look for too long, and was glad when Willow pulled a sad looking Gus out of the store.

"I just wanted a little biiiiit!" He cried, turning to Amity with a pleading look.

"Don't look at me, Gus. I cannot save you from your unsweetened fate. Besides, we need to head that way." She pointed nonchalantly away from the market, in a direction that would take them closer to the woods. "We are meeting a friend."

Gus looked very confused, tilting his head. "A friend? But-"

Willow pulled him up to stand straighter, hugging him to her side. "We don't wanna be late, okay? Just c'mon." She turned, with only a glance over her shoulder at Amity, who followed seconds after. She was so tempted to look back to see if she could see the figure one more time, but just sighed and began clenching and unclenching her fists as she walked 

As they neared the edge of Bonesburrow, Willow stopped at the corner, Gus following suit and kicking his feet. Amity was just behind them, ears alert and focused on the slow footsteps of who she assumed to be their new "friend". 

Amity leaned against a pole sticking out of the ground while Gus complained further about not getting candy. Willow leaned down and promised to buy him some another time to make up for it.

The footsteps slowed down as the stranger suddenly passed them, as if they were hesitant, before they returned to a normal pace and walked away and towards the woods. Willow watched for a moment then breathed out. "Thank the isles that's over. Cmon, I think it's best we go home." 

But something didn't sit right with Amity. Why follow them for hours and then hesitate? They were alone. Who were they anyway? Curiosity and frustration swirled into anger, and she moved forward towards the stranger. "HEY."

They stopped and turned, and she barely noticed a hand retreat back into the cloak. She closed more ground between them. "Why were you following us? Who are you?"

At that, there was a short silence, before they turned and ran towards the woods quickly, likely full speed. Amity wasn't going to let it go. This was too weird. She took off after them, ignoring shouts from Willow. They broke out of the edge of Bonesburrow, heading up a hill. Amity used an abomination spell to help go up faster, closing distance between them.

The witch let out a growl of frustration as they leapt over a log, stumbling into the woods and back into a seemingly panicked sprint. "COME BACK HERE!" she shouted, following suit and thankfully still able to track the creeps movement through the thick trees. 

She used more spells to try and both slow and catch them, getting closer and gritting her teeth as she drew one that launched them into the air.

They landed in a clearing, and before they could scramble to their feet to keep running, an abomination lifted them up to dangle in the air, Amity huffing and pausing to catch her breath. "Got you."  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Luz panicked. It was so terrifying seeing Amity so angry. So she ran. It was stupid. So stupid. She didn't even prepare any gliphs, so she was lucky to dodge so many of the spells cast against her. But her legs were burning, and it wasn't a surprise when she was launched and landed hard on her side. The large goopy hand of an abomination gripped her leg and lifted her into the air, where she scrambled to hold her hood over her face. 

"Got you."

The two words sent further waves of fear through her, and though she suddenly wanted to speak, yell out at her old friend to stop and let her down, nothing came out. She was paralyzed.

She was thrown to the ground, this time face down, and she let out a fairly loud whimper of pain, gripping her side. Well, hopefully nothing broken. She was pulled up by the scruff of her cloak, wincing as the abomination held her up just above the ground as she struggled. Amity approached with the same fierce golden eyes she remembered. If Luz wasn't absolutely terrified she might've called it beautiful.

"Now you're gonna give me answers, creep." The witch growled. "who are you?"

Again, Luz couldn't even manage words. All she could do was lift her shaking hands upwards, holding them open to show a sign of surrender and a lack of weapons. Amity clenched her fists. 

"Speak! You've followed us for hours. Why!?"

The Latina opened her mouth, whimpering when she couldn't force anything out but a weak "sorry". The abomination dropped her into her knees, and she gripped at her injured side, looking up nervously as Amity moved forward and gripped the front end of the cloak with one hand and the hood with the other. She flipped it aggressively back, finally revealing Luz's face.

The sudden hesitation and confusion that swept across her face as the witch looked over her, gears turning in her head, made a nervous shaky smile form on Luz's lips. And finally, she spoke. "H-hey, Amity…" it came out shaky and scared.

Both her grip and her face softened, her eyes searching Luz's face again as if it couldn't be real. Luz was about to speak again, apologize, anything, when Amity collapsed onto her knees and wrapped both her arms tightly around the humans shoulders. Almost sobbing out the question of: "L-luz?"

She was so tense, holding Luz close but with such care that it almost made her want to cry too. She returned the hug, breathing out and smiling. "yeah… it's me."

Amity seemed to break further, crying into her shoulder and hugging tighter. "Oh my titan, Luz… it's… this is… it's really real?" She pulled back to scan her face again, then downwards, freezing. "Oh- i- I hurt you! Oh titan, i'm so sorry! Are you okay? Does your side hurt? You didn't hit your head right?" She moved her hands quickly to cup the human's face in her hands while a blush appeared. "Please tell me you're okay I wouldn't have ever done that if I'd known-"

"I know! I know! I'm okay! Just a bruise I think… it's okay! You don't have to cry!" She laughed a bit, moving to mirror Amity's hold on her face. Her thumbs lightly wiped away a few, but the golden eyes kept leaking tears, and Amity pulled her into a hug again, shakily breathing out. "I shouldn't have been following you-" Luz added weakly, but got no reply.

Luz again wrapped her arms around the witch, letting her head fall onto her shoulder. The pain from the bruises wasn't bad, but the sun would be going down soon enough and after that chase she felt exhausted. But for now, she allowed herself to enjoy Amity. How she could feel the witches heartbeat, her unsteady crying breath, the warmth of her body against her own as they held each other. Luz smiled and squeezed her friend. 

Amity likewise enjoyed the overwhelming nature of Luz. She was here. She smelled like grass and dirt, and weirdly enough something familiar. Something just, Luz. Guilt disappeared momentarily as she held the girl she so loved, unable to stop waves of emotion swelling in her heart as she cried. She was really here.

They both sat there for a time, not really counting because it felt uncountable. But Luz finally was the first to shift on her knees pulling back to face the witch with a bright smile that had been sorely missed. "Miss me?"

"Of course." It was quiet and full of joy, making Luz want to melt. But unfortunately the moment was finally broken by loud rustling coming from the same direction the two had cone from, and Willow and Gus emerged panting into the edge of the small clearing.

"Shucks, Amity, when did you get so fast! Did you-" the witch looked up, meeting both sets of eyes. "- uh… catch…" she squinted, taking a few steps forward.

Luz smiled nervously, standing up and offering Amity her hand to help her up as well before rubbing the back of her neck. It was a slow and awkward movement. "Uhm… hey, Willow... Gus." She glanced at the boy, laying on his back on the ground, only offering a tired wave.

But his eyes opened wide and he hopped up at her voice, exchanging a look with Willow before joy took over both their expressions and they rushed forward, tackling Luz back onto the ground and into a hug. "LUZ!"

Laughs from all three of them bubbled up and Amity watched, still standing. Willow pulled Gus back and both of them started firing off with questions.

"When did you get here! How? The key was lost!"  
"How are you! Oh gosh there's so much you missed!"  
"Are you back to stay?"   
"Can you still do magic?"  
"I'm so happy to see you!"  
"You were the one following us!?"

Luz held up her hands in surrender but with a full smile on her face, waiting for the two to run out of breath so she could speak. "I found the key yesterday and came through this morning. I'm alright. And it's so good to see you guys too!" She wrapped them both up in a hug again, releasing them as a blush spread on her cheeks. "And uh… yeah. I was following you. I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to do I… I just got nervous. I didn't know how to…" she extended her arms forward. "...I don't know, approach you? So much is different."

"It really is! You won't believe it, Belos was defeated, and everything is changing!" Willow said excitedly, pausing only to get up and help Luz stand. "There's so much to fill you in on!" She paused for a second, chuckling. "If I'm honest knowing you were the one following is actually relieving."

"I do believe it. I saw the giant statue." She chuckled. She gave an off glance to Amity, who stayed quiet. But it was good to see a soft expression and the faintest hint of a smile on the witches lips.

"Oh! Right!" Willow smiled. "Eda will be so happy to see you!"

"Is she at the owl house?" Luz perked up, smiling at the thought of her former mentor. 

"Lillith said a few days ago Eda was in Skullstown. Probably something to do with the council. But she should be back in a few days." Amity spoke, meeting Luz's eyes. "There's been a lot of alerts lately."

"Alerts?" Luz tilted her head a bit. "Alerts for what?"

"Mostly just witches being violent." Gus piped up. "Despite all the peace, there are still some who don't like following rules."

"I really do have a lot to catch up on…" Luz muttered, rubbing her arm. "...and I don't even have a place to sleep tonight with Eda not here." She had kind of banked on finding Eda before nightfall. 

"You could stay with me." Amity blurted out before she could stop herself, breathing out and looking away to try and not make a fool of herself. "I mean, if you want. Not much happens in the Manor anyway, and Ed and Em would love to see you again."

Luz smiled wider, moving to give the witch a side hug. "Perfect!" She released her and glanced towards Gus and Willow, feeling just a bit of guilt. "I mean… unless you guys would be up for a sleepover? It'd be great to spend time together again."

Willow only needed a single glance between the confused excited face of Luz and the quickly reddening face of Amity to smile and execute a only slightly sneaky plan. "Actually, tonight isn't good. Just cause my dad's needed me to help them with some stuff, and I'm sure Gus's parents wouldn't be too up to having three sudden guests with such little notice." She looked toward him, hoping he went along with it, and luckily he caught the pleading in her eyes.

"Oh, yeah no, probably not a good idea. But uh… we can hang out tomorrow! Give you a tour around since it's been awhile! And fill you in on all you need to know!" He thankfully managed the lie, and Willow turned back to Luz.

"And you'll have to fill us in on what you've been up to!" She added. 

The human nodded. "Of course! Though there isn't much." She looked back at Amity. "God, it really is so good to see you again. All of you." But she didn't look back at Gus or Willow, smiling wide at Amity.

"Likewise." Amity mumbled, giving in and hugging the girl again. "It's just… wow. You're here."

Luz, Willow, and Gus all chuckled. Amity released the hug, but kept a hand on Luz's shoulder. It still felt unreal. Two whole years, and Luz magically shows up. She feared if she wasn't holding the human in some way she might disappear again. 

"Like I said before you ran off, it's probably a good idea to get ourselves home." Willow spoke, turning with a step back toward Bonesburrow. "Don't wanna get caught out in the dark."

"True!" Gus piped in, turning as well. Luz and Amity followed a few steps behind.

"I need to stop and grab my bag real quick on the way. I hid It on the edge of the forest so I didn't have to carry it." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. Though she wanted to look up, and maybe start on about how she's been the past two years, she felt anxious. And she hated it. "It shouldn't take but a minute."

"That's fine, Luz." Amity answered. "Do you know exactly where you left it?" She noticed Luz's unusually quiet behavior. For a moment she wondered if Luz had just become less excitable or energetic after so long, but decided it wouldn't hurt to be gentle anyway. 

The human girl nodded, pepping up just a bit with a small smile. "Yeah, left it in a log. I'll know it when I see it. But we passed it on our way in."

Amity chuckled. "The log you hopped when we entered the woods?" That'd be a marvelous coincidence. But so was the girl even being there so close to the anniversary of her first arrival. 

A mildly comfortable silence fell over the group until they reached the edge, the three witches watching as Luz pulled a bag out of the trunk and slinging it over her shoulder. "I feel bad about the whole situation. I should've just said hi."

"We probably would've tackled you either way!" Willow laughed, patting her friend on the shoulder. "But don't sweat it. I kinda get it. I doubt we would've just walked up to you if we'd managed to find a way to the human realm." She was already leading the band back down the hill again. "Which believe it or not we tried very hard to do for a good while after you got thrown back! Eda and me were reading through as many portal related books we could find. Sometimes even Amity would join us." She glanced back at the brownish haired girl.

"Yeah but… not often." She didn't like talking about Eda. She'd like to say she'd forgiven the older witch, but in truth after learning she threw Luz through the portal their relationship had been… off. She hadn't been all that close with her to begin with, but they didn't speak to each other if they could help it. Amity out of grief, and Eda out of Guilt.

"Okay so can someone tell me about the statue?" Luz spoke. "I mean I get it cause it's kinda like a new age for witches but it looks more like a memorial than a monument to success." She remembered seeing her own statue, and tightened the grip on the strap of her duffle bag. "It was almost creepy."

Gus nodded. "It was built by construction coven members who either fought or knew… sometimes even lost, loved ones in the battle. Eda had been a staple of outside the covens since forever, furthered by that whole…" he moved his wrist in a circle, trying to think of the word. "...Incident with the petrification. So they were more than happy to thank her with the statue. All the heads were those who participated. With dates, to clarify who uh…" he hesitated, looking up with sad eyes to meet Luz's. "...didn't make it."

"I had… guessed. I was worried that might've included you three when I saw your faces." The human admitted. "I worried about that even before. When I first got sent back." She paused, trying to refocus herself so she wouldn't cry. Thinking about that day always made her cry. "But I'm here! And you're all okay! And Belos is gone! It's so crazy to think about."

Amity smiled. "Absolutely. And you haven't even heard about Lillith and the Council, the Guardian's coven, the new laws and school system- it's a lot. Too much to explain tonight. And I'm guessing by how you're shuffling you're getting tired."

"You caught me. Thanks, again for uhm… letting me stay with you. I didn't even think about if Eda wasn't around or… I don't know." She shrugged. "And I can't really go home tonight. I really need to work on planning ahead…"

Willow turned with a smirk. "Luz, when have you ever planned ahead? From what I remember-"

"Hey! I did! Sometimes…" she blushed, turning away. "Though okay, fair, not much." The group shared a laugh, and the human girl felt… at home. She'd had to figure out how to at least act somewhat… normal in her time away from the Isles. And she'd made a friend, but being back felt so much better. Knowing she couldn't stay longer than one night was almost sad. Almost. She wouldn't dwell on it.

Instead, she kept walking, talking about small things and joking with her old friends as they approached the edge of Bonesburrow.


End file.
